This Is Guernsey

By Rob Batiste

AFTER more than 100 years, the Jeremie Cup is set to receive a facelift in reaction to the rising costs of inter-island travel.

The GFA board is proposing that from next season its own inter-island competition – the Wheway is the responsibility of the JFA – will be rebranded the Channel Islands Champions Knockout with the Jeremie, first played for in 1902, going to the winners.

In the new competition, the top four sides from each island will play a straight knockout and take advantage of the ferry services available in late summer.

Jeff Vidamour, the GFA’s director for cups, leagues and grounds, said that the board was reacting to comments that the CI cups were becoming stale and the costs prohibitive, especially for the Jersey sides. Grouville’s recent Jeremie Cup run cost them in excess of £7,000.

‘We obviously have heard the comments from the Jersey clubs – which is that they are finding the travelling very expensive,’ said Vidamour.

‘We are looking for an inter-island competition which is affordable.’

The GFA is confident that its Jersey counterparts will have no objections, although the JFA have already indicated that it wishes to continue the Wheway in its current format.

‘The Jersey Football Combination are very keen on the [proposed] competition and the format.

‘The JFC are the clubs, but we would like the JFA to give their blessing on the thing.’

As the GFA presses on with its proposed wholesale changes to the structure of football in Guernsey, Vidamour says the hope is for the new CI Champions’ Knockout to come to fruition ‘as soon as possible’.

The board had tried to instigate a Champions League style of CI competition with more inter-island fixtures, but after discussions with the JFC, it was felt better to run with a straight knockout that will run over three out of the four weekends at the end of August and early September.

The W. J. Collins Cup, featuring the bottom four sides in each island, will run in conjunction with the CI Champions’ Knockout and in both cases the cups will guarantee at least one fixture against Caesarean opposition.

Article posted on 21st May, 2008 - 2.30pm